“I can only confirm that there was a shooting,” a spokeswoman for Zurich police said. Swiss media said the suspected assailant had fled the scene and was now at large.

Blick reported that the mosque was mostly comprised of Somalian worshippers.

A local told the paper: “It must have been someone outside. We are shocked and even afraid that there were dead people.”

Photographs of the scene showed the area cordoned off with police tape.

Cops wearing balaclavas, anti-riot helmets and armed with assault rifles were also seen swarming across the area.

Police said it was unclear whether the attack had to do anything with the location. Attacks by armed gunmen are rare in Switzerland.

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